South Carolina Certificate of Authority / Cost
How much a South Carolina certificate of authority costs
How much does a South Carolina certificate of authority cost? $110 to the Secretary of State for a foreign LLC and $110 for a foreign corporation, which also pays a corporate license fee of at least $25. Our preparation fee is $199 and is itemised separately.
Cost by kind of entity
| Entity | Certificate of authority | Other state cost at the start | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLC | $110 | $2 if a fictitious name is needed | Nothing to the Secretary of State |
| Business corporation | $110 | License fee of at least $25 | Annual report and license fee to the Department of Revenue |
| Nonprofit corporation | $10 | Quoted when you order | Nonprofit chapter |
| Limited partnership | $10 | Quoted when you order | Partnership chapter |
| Limited liability partnership | $100 | Quoted when you order | Registered status renewed |
For a corporation the $110 splits into $10 to file and $100 of tax taken before filing.
What do the other South Carolina filings cost?
Once an LLC has its certificate, a statement changing the agent or the designated office is $10, an amended certificate is $110, and cancelling is $10. A name reservation is $25, a certificate of existence or authorization issued by South Carolina is $10, and each time process is served on the Secretary of State there is a $10 charge.
And for a corporation?
Amending a corporation's certificate costs $110. Changing the registered agent or office costs $10, applying to withdraw costs $10, and an agent resigning pays $3.
Examples with the arithmetic shown
| Your situation | State cost | Total |
|---|---|---|
| An LLC applying | $110 | $110 |
| An LLC applying with a fictitious name | $112 | $110 + $2 |
| An LLC that applies and amends | $220 | $110 + $110 |
| An LLC that applies and later cancels | $120 | $110 + $10 |
| A corporation qualifying | $135 | $110 + $25 |
| A corporation qualifying and withdrawing | $145 | $110 + $25 + $10 |
| A nonprofit applying and withdrawing | $20 | $10 + $10 |
| A Delaware LLC in its first year | $510 | $110 + $400 |
| A Wyoming LLC in its first year | $170 | $110 + $60 |
What is the corporate license fee?
The corporation's capital stock and surplus set the amount: $15 and $1 for every thousand dollars, never less than $25. The payment date is the annual report's original date, and extra time on the report does not move it.
What does it cost to wait?
An LLC faces only the court bar. A corporation that operates without a certificate owes $10 for each day, capped at $1,000 per year, so a year of delay plus qualifying costs at least $1,135.
How do I pay the state?
Enclose a check payable to the Secretary of State. Later copies of filed papers cost $1 for page one and $0.50 for every page after, and $2 more if the copy is certified.
What does an LLC pay over its whole life in South Carolina?
Apply: $110. Change an agent or an office: $10 each time. Amend a fact on the certificate: $110. Cancel: $10. An LLC that applies once, changes its agent once and cancels pays $120 for the application and the agent change, and $10 more to cancel.
What does a corporation pay over its whole life?
Qualify at $110 plus the license fee, change the registered agent or office at $10 a time, amend at $110, and withdraw at $10. Each year adds the license fee, never below $25.
What is not in the state fee?
The home state's fee for its certificate and an agent's charge sit outside the Secretary of State's schedule. A fictitious name for an LLC adds $2.
What is included in your fee?
$199 covers the questionnaire, drafting the application, requesting the home certificate on the right date, checking the five common rejection points and filing. It excludes the state's charges, the home state's fee, an agent's fee and newspaper or tax charges. The DIY steps show what the same work involves when you do it yourself.
Registered agent: first year included, then $149 a year
$199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Cost questions
Is the corporate fee greater than the LLC fee?
Both pay $110 to apply. Only the corporation then owes a yearly license fee, which starts at $25.
Does the LLC pay every year?
Not to the Secretary of State.
What does a fictitious name cost?
$2.
What does leaving cost?
Cancelling an LLC costs $10, and a corporation's withdrawal is $10.
Price summary
Get your South Carolina certificate
Georgia or any stateSouth Carolina
$199
+ $110 to the state
- Your certificate of authority application, drafted from a questionnaire
- The home-state certificate requested on the right date
- A South Carolina agent for service if you need one
- The filed copy and the state's receipt
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
The $110 state fee is the LLC and corporation fee, paid to the Secretary of State and itemized separately; a corporation also pays a license fee, and other entity types are priced on the cost page. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Official sources
- Form F0008, application for a certificate of authority (foreign LLC), with filing instructions
- S.C. Code Title 33, Chapter 44, Uniform Limited Liability Company Act
- South Carolina Secretary of State, FAQs about business entities
- S.C. Code Title 33, Chapter 1, general provisions, fees and taxes
- Form F0002, application by a foreign corporation for a certificate of authority
- S.C. Code Title 33, Chapter 31, nonprofit corporations
- South Carolina Business Entities Online
- S.C. Code Title 12, Chapter 20, corporate license fee and annual report
- S.C. Code Title 33, Chapter 42, limited partnerships
- S.C. Code Title 33, Chapter 41, partnerships and limited liability partnerships
- Form F0039, application for an amended certificate of authority (foreign LLC)
- Form F0054, foreign LLC certificate of cancellation of authority
- Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule (PDF)
- Delaware Division of Corporations, LLC/LP/GP annual tax
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division fee schedule
- S.C. Code Title 33, Chapter 15, foreign corporations
Need a South Carolina certificate of authority?
Send the entity type and we take over the filing.